Game apparatus.



G. E. BURBANK. v

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 111.114, 1910.

59,710, Patented May 31, 19111;

mmmboz CHARLES E. BURBANK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR T0 MARY L.

BURBANK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BURBANK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofy Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in game apparatus, the object of the invention being to provide a ligure, preferably representing an animal holding a ball or other object in its mouth, and which when struck by a ball or other object thrown at the figure, and hitting a particular spot will cause the ball in the mouth of the figure to be dropped onto a gong or other sounding device, and another ball or object to be moved to a position in the mouth of the figure.

l/Vith these and other' objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a view in elevation illustrating my improvements, in connection with the figure of a lion. Fig. 2, is a view in section on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1. Fig. 3, is a fragmentary rear view. Fig. 4, is a view in section across the nose and mouth of the figure, and Fig. 5, is a detail perspective view of the trip lever.

1 represents a support, and 2 a ligure, in the present instance, the figure of a lion being shown, and securing devices 3 are passed through the feet of the lion to secure it to support 1. The ligure shows in profile, a lion, the outer face being suitably ornamented so as in appearance to resemble the body of a lion, which is shown with the mouth 4 partly open, for ay purpose which will hereinafter appear. Back of that portion of the figure representing the head of the lion, a semi-cylindrical tube or casing 5 is secured over a semi-cylindrical groove or recess 6 in the back of the figure, to form a cylindrical passage 7, constituting a reservoir in which a number of balls 8 are held. The lower end of tube 5 is bent inward as shown at 9, and the inner face of the iigure is recessed or cut out as shown at 10 to form an entrance into the mouth portion 4. The part of the figure representing the upper and lower aws at the open mouth are curved Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 24, 1910.

Patented May 31, 1910. Serial No. 539,673.

on their inner sides in the arc of a circle as shown at 11, and this arc is practically concentric with the are of the circle of the balls 8, so that the balls entering the mouth through the recessed portion 1() cannot escape at the side of the mouth, but only at the end of the mouth. To prevent the escape of the ball from the mouth of the iigure, a trip lever 12 is provided. This trip lever is of general right-angled form, and is provided in one of its members with a slot 13 through which an elongated curved stud 14, fixed to the figure, projects. This slotted member is shorter than the other member' 15, which latter lies across the end of the ligure at the mouth, so as to prevent the ball from falling out of the mouth, while the shorter member normally lies out of the path of the balls as shown most clearly in Fig. 2.

1G represents a lever, which is pivotally connected at one end to a fixed stud 17, and at its free end is connected by a link 18 with the lever 12 at a point adjacent the angle of the lever.

A plunger rod 19 extends through an opening in the figure, and is pivotally connected at its inner end to lever 16. The front end of the rod 19 projects through a recess 20 in the figure, and has a button or enlargement 21 secured on its front end, contituting a target, and between this button 21 and the inner end of recess 2O a coiled spring 22 is provided around rod 19, and normally presses the button 21 outward, and holds the working parts in normal position. The rod 19 is screw threaded throughout a portion of its length, and a nut 23 is screwed onto the rod and engages the inner face of the figure to limit the outward movement of the button 21. The button 21 is preferably located adjacent to that portion of the figure representing the ear of the lion, and the object of the game is to throw al ball or other projectile, so as to strikethc button 21 and cause the ball 8 to fall out of the mouth of the figure down upon a gong 24 and ring the gong.

The operation is as follows: Then the projectile strikes the button 21, the plunger rod 19 is forced inward to swing lever 16 on its fulcrum. Link 18 then draws the lever 12 rearward, causing the shorter member of the lever to slide on pin 14, slot 13 permitting this sliding movement. This movement of the lever will pull the longer member 15 of the lever out of the path of the ball 8 in the mouth of the figure and permit the ball to drop down and sound gong 24. At the same time, this sliding movement of the lever l2 will position the shorter member of the lever in the path of the balls 8, and hold back the neXt ball in passage 7 until the first ball has dropped out of the mouth, when the spring 22 will return the parts to their former position and the next ball in the passage 7 will roll down into the mouth of the figure.

lVhile I have shown my improvements in connection with the representation of a lion, I would have it understood that I do not limit my invention to the representation of any particular ligure, but may use the same on various figures, and slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangements of parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I do not restrict myself to the precise details set forth, but consider my self at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a game apparatus, the combination with the representation of a figure, of means normally holding an object in the mouth of the figure, and means adapted when struck by a projectile to release the holding means and permit the object to fall out of the mouth of the figure.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination with the representation of a figure, having an open mouth, that portion of the figure representing the aws being curved in cross section in the mouth of the figure, a passage with the representation of a figure having an open mouth, of a passage back of the gure adapted to contain aplurality of balls and direct them into the mouth ofthe figure, said mouth being of a size to accommodate but a single ball at a time, a support secured to the figure, a trip lever of general bellcrank form having its longer vmember disposed in front of the mouth of the figure, the shorter member of said lever having a slot therein to receive said support, a lever fulcrumed at one end behind the figure, a link connecting the free end of said last mentioned lever with the trip lever, Va plunger rod projecting through the figure and connected at one end to said last men` tioned lever, a button or target on the front end of said lever, and a spring normally pressing said target outward.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. BURBANK.

lVitnesses:

S. 7. FOSTER, It. H. KRENKEL. 

